Omar on WFAN

Omar Minaya, during an interview with Mike and the Mad Dog on WFAN, said that the newly acquired Ryan Church will be the starting right fielder going into 2008.

Minaya on the trade- "Church is a plus outfielder who will run more with us and has more opportunities to drive in runs...Schneider is one of the better defensive catchers in baseball...Milledge was not crucial to any trade for a big pitcher so we felt like we could make this trade. I think it was a good baseball trade for both sides."

On the Mota deal - "Mota wasn't working out for us, and was going to be getting paid 3.5 million next year...it was time to move on. His numbers weren't that bad but his performance in big spots was pretty poor."

On the Torrealba deal - "We weren't able to come to an agreement and we agreed to not comment on why, so I'm going to stick to the agreement."

On Lo Duca vs. Schneider - "Schneider is a better defensive catcher and I'm big on defense. I'm a big believer in being strong up the middle, and Schneider gives us great defense behind the plate."

On elite pitchers - "We are in contact with these clubs who are shopping their pitchers...they have definitely shown interest in our players..."

On the team - "I'm happy with the team right now, but there will probably be new pieces with the team by Spring Training..."

On Jose Reyes - "I don't see anyone in the marketplace who has been shopped around who would be worth trading Jose Reyes."

So this was a typical Omar interview, where he didn't commit one way or another on many issues. I like the guys we got back in the trade, for sure, but I certainly don't think that they should have come at the price of Lastings Milledge.

Schneider is certainly a great defensive catcher who will be fun to watch behind the plate, and has always been a favorite of mine (especially because he signed a baseball for me at Olympic Stadium many years ago). He is good at throwing out runners and great at calling a game. He blocks the plate well, too.

The acquisition of Church doesn't excite me as much as the acquisition of Schneider, and hear me out on that. Church doesn't really do anything extraordinary. He's good defensively (but not great) and he's a solid third outfielder, but not a stud. He reminds me of Xavier Nady, which I'm fine with, but has work ethic issues and has only one year of being a full-time starter. We'll see.

Lastings Milledge traded

According to ESPN.com, Lastings Milledge has been traded from the Mets to the Nationals in exchange for Brian Schneider and Ryan Church.

WASHINGTON -- Catcher Brian Schneider and outfielder Ryan Church were traded to the New York Mets by the Washington Nationals on Friday for outfielder Lastings Milledge.

In Schneider, the Mets add yet another catcher, following their trade for Johnny Estrada last week. In Milledge, the Nationals pick up a talented young player they hope can avoid the sorts of missteps that marked his Mets career and be a key component of their rebuilding project.

Schneider was given a lot of credit last season for holding together a ragtag Nationals starting rotation, but he struggled at the plate, batting .235 with six homers and 54 RBIs.

Church hit .272 with 15 homers and 70 RBIs, while tying for the team lead with 43 doubles.

I'm not sure what Omar is thinking here. Milledge has been touted as one the best, if not the best, prospect in the Mets system. He was dangled in deals for Barry Zito, Roy Oswalt, Manny Ramirez, Tim Hudson, and the like, but Omar was too high on him to pull the trigger. Now he trades Milledge for a mediocre catcher and a third outfielder. As far as I'm concerned, while not as bad as the Scott Kazmir trade, this may go down as the worst trade Omar will make as GM of the Mets.

According to SportsTalk 980 in Washington, DC, Milledge may have been traded due to insubordination issues with the Mets.

There's a rumor going around that as little as two weeks ago, Milledge was in the front office for a meeting with Jeff Wilpon and Omar Minaya. At the meeting they criticized his lack of focus on baseball, caused by what they believe to be numerous outside business ventures that he was undertaking with his friends and family. Fearing the possibility of another public relations fiasco, they demanded that he shut down his record label, and the other aspects of his music operation in its ENTIRETY, he refused, and this is where we're at in the present.

While I'm not sure of the credibility of this source, this would weaken the terribly bitter taste in the mouths of Mets fans. Milledge has always been a topic of controversy for the Mets and their front office, so this would certainly make sense.

The bottom line here is that I think Omar got ripped off on this trade. Just one man's opinion.

Welcome all

Hey all, this is a new Mets blog that I hope will grow into something big. I'm a big-time Mets fan and I always have been. I've always wanted a place to vent about this team (and if you've been a fan for very long, I'm sure you understand). Check back frequently for new updates and articles posted. I'm going to try and post at least once a day, especially during the winter meetings next week in Nashville.
Let's see, a little about me I guess. I'm a college student down here at Emory University in Atlanta (The Braves fans down here are a joke, for the record). I tend to get awfully animated and angry in my writings, so watch out for kneejerk reactions and rants that I will quickly regret posting. You're all welcome to respond to my posts, even if you don't like them.
I've got some reading to do for some class I'm in, so I have to cut my first post short. Go Mets!